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The main trial of Özgür Gündem newspaper, which was closed by a Statutory Decree, continued at the 23rd Heavy Penal Court in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse today (June 4).

The court board presided by Ahmet Uğuz gave their interlocutory judgement and ruled that the arrest warrant issued for Ragıp Zarakolu shall be lifted. As for the arrest warrant issued for Filiz Koçali, the court board ruled that the warrant shall continue to be in effect.

The request submitted by attorney Özcan Kılıç for the removal of international travel ban imposed on Eren Keskin has been rejected. The court board also ruled that Necmiye Alpay shall be exempt from attending the hearings and the imprisonment of Kemal Sancılı, who was arrested in the district of İpsala in Edirne on May 11, shall continue.

All nine people are facing prison sentence on charges of "disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state", "being member of an armed organization" and "establishing an organization with felon intent" as per the related article of the Turkish Penal Code as well as "propagandizing for terrorist organization" as per the Anti-Terror Law.

Trials of Özgür Gündem Editors-in-Chief on Watch

The Editors-in-Chief on Watch campaign of Özgür Gündem daily had begun on May 3, 2016 and ended on August 7, 2016. Daily was closed through the Statutory Decree No. 675 issued under the State of Emergency.

Investigations have been launched into 50 of the 56 Editors-in-Chief on Watch who have participated in the campaign. In 11 of these cases, the court has ordered not to prosecute and in 38 cases, a lawsuit has been brought. One case has been dismissed due to expiration of the Statute of Limitation in the investigation

Relying on the Articles 7(2) and 6(2) of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713, the 38 Editors-in-Chief on Watch have stood trial on the charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and for "publishing and spreading statements of terrorist organizations.

* Deniz Türkali's case was dismissed due to expiration of the Statute of Limitation in the investigation.

* The cases of Özgür Gündem daily's former editor-in-Chief Hüseyin Aykol, columnists Mehmet Ali Çelebi and Hüseyin Bektaş, who were on duty during the campaign, have been combined with the cases of Düzkan, Duran and Çelebi.

The 38 Editors-in-Chief on Watch have stood trial / are standing on the charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and for "publishing and spreading statements of terrorist organizations under the Articles 7(2) and 6(2) of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713.

Cases brought against 4 writers

Lawsuits were filed against Ömer Ağın and Dilşah Kocakaya due to their articles published on Özgür Gündem daily, while Celal Başlangıç was the Editor-in-Chief on Watch; against İmam Canpolat due to an article published while Cengiz Baysoy was the Editor-in-Chief on Watch, and against İlham Bakır due to an article published while Jülide Kural was the Editor-in-Chief on Watch.

Önderoğlu, Nesin, Korur-Fincancı in 10-days pre-trial detention

* Editors-in-Chief on Watch, Erol Önderoğlu, Ahmet Nesin and Şebnem Korur Fincancı were arrested in June 2016 and released after 10 days.

The next hearing of the three writers whose trials continue, will be held on December, 27, 2017.

3 acquittals

The court has ruled in 22 cases in total, that the editors-in-chief on watch be sentenced to 68,000 TL (15,619 Euros) fine and 235 months and 15 days in prison. All prison sentences except those of Canpolat and Çelikkan, have been deferred.

Çelikkan entered Kırklareli Prison on August 14, 2017 and was transferred to open prison on October 14, 2017. He was released on October 21, 2017.

Kızılkaya's cases

Özgür Gündem Managing Editor İnan Kızılkaya is defendant in all 38 cases. His case was separated from the others in the trials together with the other Editors-in-Chief on Watch. İstanbul 23rd Heavy Criminal Court is combining Kızılkaya's case with the main trial.

The ninth hearing in the main trial of Özgür Gündem newspaper has been held. The court board has ruled that the international travel ban of Eren Keskin and the arrest of Kemal Sancılı shall continue. The next hearing will be held on October 10, 2018.

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